Jones, Tarr Secure Critical Extension For North Reading

North Reading will have additional time to exercise its option to purchase the Seven Acres Farm property, thanks to language House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. (R-North Reading) and Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester) secured in a municipal relief bill that was signed into law by Governor Charlie Baker on April 3.

House Bill 4598, An Act to address challenges faced by municipalities and state authorities resulting from COVID-19, was enacted by the House and Senate on April 2, and is now Chapter 53 of the Acts of 2020. The bill eases certain restrictions for cities and towns to help ensure that local governments can continue to operate and provide essential services to residents during the State of Emergency declared by Governor Baker on March 10.

Included in the bill is language to extend the 120-day right of first refusal for communities, like North Reading, that are considering acquiring privately-owned forest, agricultural or recreational land. The language calls for the current timeframe to be extended by an additional 90 days once the State of Emergency is lifted.

Representative Jones worked closely with Representative James J. O’Day (D-West Boylston), the House Chair of the Joint Committee on Municipalities & Regional Government, to ensure the right of first refusal language was included in House Bill 4580, a municipal relief bill released by the committee on March 23. Many of the provisions of House Bill 4580, including the right of first refusal extension, were later incorporated into House Bill 4598 when it was released by the House Ways and Means Committee on March 27, and subsequent amendments to the bill also retained this language as the House and Senate worked to reach agreement on the underlying bill.

“North Reading officials, like their counterparts in communities across the state, have been forced to work under very difficult circumstances to keep local government running as smoothly and efficiently as possible,” said Jones. “The statutory changes included in this bill should help alleviate some of those challenges, particularly as they relate to the timeframe for making a decision on the Seven Acres Farm property.”

“This legislation responds to a number of vitally important needs including granting North Reading the fullest opportunity to consider a right of first refusal on protected agricultural land,” said Senator Tarr. “It is the product of bicameral and bipartisan collaboration fueled by our ardent efforts to support those impacted by this pandemic.”

Located at 14 Concord Street, Seven Acres Farm is classified for agricultural/horticultural use and has been operating as a family-run farm for more than 80 years. The property was recently put up for sale, and on January 21, the town received notice of a bona fide offer to purchase the property.

Because of the existing 120-day requirement under state law, North Reading has until May 20 to make a decision on purchasing the property. A Special Town Meeting has been scheduled for May 11, at which time town officials will seek authorization for the purchase and the necessary funding appropriation.

“Given the uncertainty over when the State of Emergency will be lifted, and the difficulty of convening Town Meeting while still complying with the ‘social distancing’ restrictions that have been implemented to keep people safe, this extension will give North Reading some much-needed flexibility as it pursues the option of purchasing the Seven Acres Farm property,” said Jones.

Jones noted that House Bill 4598 contains additional language allowing communities to continue or recess their town meetings for up to 30 days at a time and to conduct business beyond June 30 if necessary to protect public health and safety. It also allows communities to use existing free cash and other revenue sources – with the approval of the director of local accounts at the Department of Revenue – to operate under a 1/12th interim budget if a new budget cannot be finalized by June 30, and to incur debt that can be amortized over the next three fiscal years to keep essential government functions operating.